1. Valuable New Resource: ICO Guidelines for Glaucoma

The ICO Guidelines for Open and Closed Angle Glaucoma are a valuable new ICO resource for health professionals, intended to reduce the amount of blindness and vision loss from glaucoma by facilitating diagnosis and treatment. The Guidelines were released to great enthusiasm at the February 2016 World Ophthalmology Congress® in Guadalajara, Mexico.

2. World Glaucoma Week March 6–12, 2016. Get Involved!

World Glaucoma Week (WGW) is a collaborative project between the World Glaucoma Association and the World Glaucoma Patient Association that contributes to the elimination of glaucoma blindness by alerting people to the importance of regular eye examinations, including optic nerve checks.

Ivan Goldberg, Chair of the World Glaucoma Week Committee, reinforces this critical need for educating the population about optic nerve testing, saying, “The glaucomas cause progressive damage to the vision; they do so without warning until later in the disease process, and while treatment is effective in arresting the disease, it cannot reverse damage caused previously. This means the earlier the diagnosis, the less damage done and the more vision there is to save.”

3. Register Now for the MEACO International Congress May 4–8, 2016

The Middle East Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) will hold its XIII International Congress on May 4–8, 2016, at the Bahrain International Convention Center in Manama, Bahrain. Register now for the MEACO Congress.

The MEACO Congress, conducted in collaboration with the ICO, the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and the Bahrain Ophthalmological Association, is the largest ophthalmic meeting in the Middle East and Africa regions.

5. ICO Fellowships Application Deadline is March 31

The ICO and committed partners offer three-month and one-year fellowship opportunities for ophthalmologists from developing countries. ICO Fellows are expected to bring the acquired knowledge and skills back to their home countries and take part in programs to preserve vision and prevent blindness.

We thank Veit-Peter Gabel, MD, FARVO, retiring ICO Director for Fellowships, for his role in advancing training, eye care, and leadership development, and we welcome Berthold Seitz, MD, as he assumes the mantle of ICO Director for Fellowships.

Myopia and high myopia estimates from 2000 to 2050 suggest significant increases in global prevalence, with the article’s authors predicting that by 2050 there will be 4,758 million people with myopia.

Serge Resnikoff, MD, PhD, ICO Director for Eye Care Delivery and past ICO Director for Advocacy, is a co-author of the paper and notes that the myopia epidemic will have significant implications for planning services, including managing and preventing myopia-related ocular complications and vision loss worldwide.

7. ICO Standard Examinations are April 13, 2016

Dr. Simon Keightley ICO Director for Examinations

The ICO Standard Examinations help ophthalmologists throughout the world evaluate their knowledge in Basic Science, Optics & Refraction, and the Clinical Sciences. The date of the next ICO Standard Examinations is April 13, 2016. Learn more about the ICO Standard Examinations.

ICO Advanced Examination
The ICO Advanced (FICO) Examination is designed for candidates who have passed the ICO Standard Examinations. The application period for the 2016 ICO Advanced Examination is May 1-July 31, with the date of the examination to be announced later. Learn more about the ICO Advanced Examination.

ICO Online Foundation Assessment
To better prepare for the ICO Standard Examinations––or simply to assess knowledge of basic and practical ophthalmology learned in the first year of training––the ICO offers online Foundation Assessments in Basic Science, Optics & Refraction, and the Clinical Sciences.

The Foundation Assessments are 50 Swiss Francs each, but as a benefit of ICO Membership, the assessments are free for candidates from ICO Member societies who have applied for one or more of the ICO Standard Examinations.

Candidates can use books or the Internet during the assessment and have up to 20 minutes to answer each question. Both a learning and assessment tool, results are available immediately and serve to indicate a trainee’s knowledge of ophthalmology. Find out more at: www.icoph.org/foundationassessment.

WOC2018
Barcelona, Spain
June 16-19

Host: Spanish Society of OphthalmologyCo-Hosts: European Society of Ophthalmology and
Spanish Society of Implant-Refractive Ocular Surgery